More than a loss

Despite a rally in the fourth quarter, the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva (NRHEG) football team still wasn’t able to earn a win against the formidable Blue Earth Area (BEA) Buccaneers. 
Although the game, held at NRHEG High School, resulted in a tough loss and brought the NRHEG Panthers’ season to a close, head coach Dan Stork said that the team has much it could be proud of.
“They’re a good football team,” said Stork. “Their schedule is very tough and it showed. They’re battle-tested. They had a lot of speed on that team, and we just couldn’t keep up with them.”
Early in the first quarter, the Bucs earned their first touchdown. Soon after, the NRHEG team took a blow when sophomore linebacker Perry Peterson was injured on the Panthers’ second offensive play. Unfortunately, senior quarterback Palmer Peterson, senior offensive lineman Zeke Erickson, senior offensive lineman Jon Weller and junior running back Jason Jongbloedt were also injured throughout the duration of the game. 
In the first quarter, the Buccaneers earned 14 points, followed by another seven in the second. In the third quarter, they surmounted another touchdown, all while holding the Panthers scoreless. 
Going into the fourth quarter, the Panthers were down 48-0. With just six minutes left in the game, NRHEG scored its first touchdown, when junior quarterback Sam Prigge pass complete to senior wide receiver John Cole for three yards. The following two-point conversion pass by Prigge to senior tight end Karter Sletten was no good.
Just three minutes later, Prigge sent another complete pass to junior tight end Chad Agrimson for another touchdown. This time, the two-point conversion run by junior running back Carter Fischer was a success. 
BEA responded with a 73-yard run by junior quarterback Logan Jahnke, for its final touchdown of the night. 
With just 26 seconds left on the clock, NRHEG’s senior running back Trey Hoppe earned the final touchdown of the game, followed by a two-point conversion run by senior offensive lineman Wyatt Fitterer, which was good.
The final score of the evening was 48-22, with the BEA Buccaneers claiming the win. BEA improved to 5-4 on its season and NRHEG fell to 6-3 following its last game of the season. 
Stork said this season was filled with positive growth for the Panthers. He noted that the team spent time together on and off the field, attending group trips to the movies and going out to eat. He also added that the team made an effort to include every member, even picking up players who needed rides. 
“I think the biggest positive is that the group of seniors we had showed such awesome leadership all year,” Stork said. “They were so positive and hard-working, and they just demanded togetherness. And, they included everybody.” 
This, said Stork, makes the future of the NRHEG football program even brighter. “That’s what we’re going to build on,” he said. “Those seniors set the bar high; not just about playing football but about being a good person and being a good student, and they really are all those things.” 
After the game, the team took a knee and listened to its coaches. When the talk was done, the team raised its helmets together and, for one last time, cried “Family!” before dispersing from the field. 
That family-like atmosphere and team unity, said Stork, can be credited in part to the efforts of the seniors and other leaders on the team. 
“I couldn’t be more proud of those guys,” said Stork. “They’re just quality kids. And those seniors did a ton for our program. We’ll always remember them.” 
 
Blue Earth Area 48
NRHEG 22
 
               1       2      3     4
BEA         14     21     7     6
NRHEG    0         0     0    22